Cuomo Hits Back after Trump Criticizes NY Abortion Bill in SOTU

New York governor Andrew Cuomo hit back at President Trump on Wednesday, a day after Trump blasted the recent New York bill loosening restrictions on late-term abortions in his State of the Union address.

"The president's diatribe was part of the far-right's escalation of its assault on a woman's constitutional rights," the governor wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times published Wednesday.

During his address to the joint session of Congress, Trump criticized the late-term-abortion bills that have cropped up in New York and Virginia, and called on Congress to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks.

"Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth," the president said. "These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world."

Last month, Cuomo celebrated his signing of the Reproductive Health Act, which removes abortion from New York's criminal code and allows abortions for any reason up to the 24th week of pregnancy and if the fetus is non-viable or the life or health of the mother is in danger after the 24th week.

Nevertheless, Cuomo claimed Wednesday that the law "does not allow abortions minutes before birth."

The governor said he signed the law to protect against "Republicans' efforts to pack the Supreme Court with extreme conservatives" to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the U.S.

Cuomo also clung to his identity as a Catholic despite his public flouting of the Church's teachings on abortion and other issues, noting that a large percentage of Catholics are pro-choice.

"As a Roman Catholic, I am intimately familiar with the strongly held views of the church," he said, adding that he is a former altar boy and was educated in religious schools. "The decisions I choose to make in my life, or in counseling my daughters, are based on my personal moral and religious beliefs. Still, I do not believe that religious values should drive political positions."

Cuomo also appeared to question the sincerity of the president's pro-life stance, noting that Trump was once pro-choice and charging that he now "shamelessly courts the religious right to win votes."

More Related News

The father of an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State group in Syria sued Thursday to bring her home after the Trump administration took the extraordinary step of declaring that she was not a US citizen. Hoda Muthana, 24, says that she regrets joining the extremists and is willing to face prosecution

The Trump administration is exploring the idea of forming a special committee to look at climate change and security risks, with the effort being coordinated by a 79-year-old physicist who rejects mainstream climate science. A memo to those federal officials asks them to direct any questions to William Happer, a member of Trump's National Security Council and a well-known critic of mainstream climate science findings.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the newly confirmed US attorney general should be the person who decides whether to publicly release the much-anticipated Russia report, which could be completed as early as next week. The remarks came as CNN reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who has headed the probe since May 2017, could deliver his final report next week, possibly when Trump travels to Asia for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Asked at the White House whether Mueller should release the text while the president is out of the country, a subdued Trump said "that will be totally up to the new attorney general," Bill Barr.

President Donald Trump is criticizing California's lead role in a multistate lawsuit challenging his emergency declaration to pay for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. On Twitter Tuesday, Trump noted last week's ...

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *